Street-railway construction



(No Model.)

B. T. WHITE. STREET RAILWAY CONSTRUCTION.

No. 437,956. Patented Oct. '7, 1890.

' UNITED STATES ATENT OFFICE A REYNOLDS T. \VI-IITE, OF BOSTON,MASSACHUSETTS.

STREET-RAILWAY CONSTRUCTION.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 437,956, dated October'7, 1890.

Application filed April 12, 1889.

To all whom it may concern: 7

Be it known that I, REYNOLDS T. WHITE, a citizen of the United States,residing at Boston',in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts,have invented a new and useful Improvement in Street-RailwayConstruction, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to produce a substantial and economicalstreet -railway road-bed that can be easily laid and repaired; and myinvention consists in the peculiar construction of the rails and chairsto hold the same, as hereinafter fully described, and pointed out in theclaims.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical cross-section of arail and end view of a chair embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a sideelevation of two adjacent rails secured over the upper part of onechairto form a connecting-joint. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of a singleor intermediate chair which is placed between joint-chairs. Fig. 4 is avertical cross-section of a rail and end view of a chair particularlyadapted for double-chairs to support the ends of two adjacent rails.

A represents a rail of any desired form of tread.

B B are pendent sides rolled integral with the head or tread of rail A.

C are chairs made of iron of suitable size, and E arestrengthening-ribs. The chairs 0 are made so that the upper ends 0 fitup under the head of the rail between the pendent sides 13 B, and asmall boss or lug 0. stands above the top of the'chair and fits in underthe tread A of the rail. The rails A are secured to chairs 0 by boltsD,passing through the pendent sides B B of the rail A and chairs 0.

In Fig. 2 I show two adjacent rails A A secured at their ends by boltsD, passing through the pendent sides B B of the rails A and through theupper part 0 cient space being left between the ends of the rails A A toallow for expansion and contraction. In making chairs for this form ofrail I prefer to make them about of the form shown-viz., with verticalstandards 0, running longitudinally with the rails A, so as to form asolid bearing for the lower edges of the pendent sides B B to rest upon,and the standards are carried up, as shown at 0 C of the chair, suffiSerial No; 306,988- (No model.)

between the sides B B to the under side of the head of the rail A, and asmall boss or lug a extends up above the top of the chair and fits intothe space beneath thetread of the rail, so that a solid bearing isobtained therefor. In single chairs the ribs E are cast about in thecenter of the chairs and offset where the bolt passes through them, andin double chairs on each side or end. The double chairs are alsoprovided wit-ha bracket projection G, extending from each end, as shown,to form a long bearing for the ends of the rails, and I prefer to formthe upper portion C slightly tapering inward, as shown in Fig. A, whichrepresents the upper end of a double chair and rail before the bolt istightened up. It

will be seen that when the boltD is tightened up the pendent sides 13 ofthe rail will be drawn into contact with the sides 0 and will form, asit were, a dovetail, so that it will be impossible for the rail tospring up, and thetension on the bolts will prevent them from workingloose. The upper ends of the single chairs may be formed tapering, ifdesired.

The chairs may be secured to sleepers, as shown, or embedded in theground. In case the chairs 0 are embedded in the ground, the bolts D maybe made in the form of tie-rods, so as to hold the rails to the propergage; but when the chairs 0 are secured to wooden sleepers bylag-screws, as shown, the tie-rods may be dispensed with.

It will be readily seen that a road-bed constructed according to thisinvention will be Very substantial, as the rails have a bearing on thechairs their entire width, and the chairs being of one piece of iron andribbed in the way shown will make very strong supports for the rails.

It will also be seen that this form of roadbed can be easily constructedand repaired, and that paving on slightly settling cannot fall under thehead and flanges of the rail, as is the case with girder-rails of thecommon form having a central vertical rib.

It will also be seen that I can cast the two chairs together by carryingthe base and a part of the inside ribs from one chair to the other, thusforming a gage for the truck.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is=== 1. A chair forsupporting street-railway rails having pendent sides, said chairsconsisting of longitudinal standards with a web between them, and saidstandards being continued across the top of the chair to form a rest forthe head or top of the rail and extending outward on both sides at thebase of the chair to form feet to rest upon the sleeper, and bracketsbetween the feet and standards, substantially as shown.

2. A chair for supporting street-railway rails having pendent sides atright angles to the tread, consisting of a standard that is formed tofit under the top and between the pendent sides of the rail and a bossor lug to fitunder the tread, and having a central strengthening-webofiset where the bolt passes through said chair and a broad bearing-torest upon a sleeper and be secured to same, substantially as shown.

3. A chairrnade of the form shown, having bracket projections and ribbedfor support-F ing the ends of two adjacent rails made with pendentsides, said rails being secured over the upper ends of said chairs bybolts passing through the pendent sides of said rails and near theirlower edges and through the upper sides of said chairs, whereby the endsof said rails are held by an inward pressure over the dovetailed upperends of said chairs, as and for the purposes set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing Witnesses.

REYNOLDS T. WHITE.

'Witnesses:

EDWARD HOBBS, HARVEY BELL.

